


Clint and Ben

by iloveitblue



Series: Prompts [209]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - ABO, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-09
Updated: 2015-07-15
Packaged: 2018-03-22 01:52:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3710464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iloveitblue/pseuds/iloveitblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where Phil is Tony's omega, and Clint only realizes he's in love with the guy after he's dead. Also, there's a kid named Ben.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It hurt to look at the child. 

Ben was a reminder. A reminder of the things Clint regrets, the things he realized a little too late and the person he could never have. Ben was not someone he liked seeing. 

The first time he’d lashed out at the child, Ben was four. Clint saw the fear in the boy’s eyes and he saw himself many years ago. He muttered an ‘I’m sorry’ to the child and walked away. He didn’t touch him again mostly because he was afraid. Of what? He wasn’t sure. All he knows is that he was turning into his father and that was not a good thing. Not for Ben, Not for him.

After that, Clint avoided Ben like the plague. He knows if he so much as sees the child, he’s going to lash out again. Ben took a hint and didn’t hang around Clint like he did back when his father was alive. Instead, he hung around Tony’s workshop.

Tony treated him like he treated every one of his creations. Bossing Ben around and calling him names. It wasn’t good for the child’s self-esteem, Clint knew that but he couldn’t really do anything about it since Tony was Ben’s father and Phil’s alpha, so no doubt Ben would follow Tony’s every word.

—

Hot.

So Hot. 

Clint tossed and turned but found every position he laid in useless. It was still so hot and JARVIS couldn’t do anything about Clint’s body heat. The Avengers had all gone to someplace Clint can’t remember right now to fight off who knows what, leaving Clint alone in the tower. God, being sick sucked. 

He was silently debating the merits of actually getting up to fetch himself something cool and the risk of him falling like timber when his feet try to support his weight when a cold compress made him almost jump. He turned, already on the highest alert his body would allow at the moment, only to find Ben holding the compress in place. 

The tiny thing had managed to get the compress all on his own. and for what? to take care of the asshole who did nothing but yell at him since Phil died. Clint felt bad about how he’d been treating the child lately. Ben didn’t deserve his words or his actions. 

“S’okay.” Came the tiny voice. “I fo’give you. I miss Daddy too.” Clint realized then that he’d said all those things out loud. He smiled a little, God, he hated being sick.

—

The next time the Avengers saw them, both Clint and Ben were huddled around the coffee table, drawing. It’s an unusual sight ever since Phil had died, but clearly not unwelcomed if any of the Avengers sighs were to go by. 

Ben still reminded Clint of feelings realized too late and the man he wished he had, but Ben was also another human being entirely who loved Phil as much as Clint did. He was someone who understood and shared Clint’s pain.

Besides, the kid was actually fun to be around.


	2. Chapter 2

With a kiss to the forehead, Clint left Ben in his room to quietly sleep.

Clint sighed as the door closed behind him. No matter how much he enjoyed being there for Ben, this has got to stop, even if it meant he saw Ben less. With mind made up, Clint went down to Tony’s workshop. 

He went over the things he was going to say to Tony in his head when the elevator dinged. Clint caught Stark welding something and walked over to the man. Tony looked up for a moment before going back to welding. 

“Hey, Clint. What can I do for you?” Tony asked, his voice muffled by the mask. “I’m kinda busy.

“Oh.” Clint knew a dismissal when he heard one. “This isn’t going to take long. I just wanted to talk to you about something.” Clint said, before amending it, “about Ben.”

Tony looked up again for a second. “What about? Did he break something again? Whatever it is, I’ll pay for it.” Tony said offhandedly.

“No, it’s not that. I wanted to talk to you about how you’re treating Ben.”

The welding mask came up, revealing Tony’s face. Clint wasn’t sure if the blank face was a good or a bad indicator. “Excuse you?” Tony balked. 

“All I’m saying is-”

“No. You’re telling me what to do with  _my_  child. What makes you think you have the right?” Tony placed the welder down along with his mask to stand toe to toe with Clint. 

“Tony, I’m not-”

“What? Just because you had a little crush on your handler and I did what you couldn’t, you think it gives you permission to tell me what to do? Ben is my child. Not yours. Any responsibility you  _think_  you have is non-existent.”

“Just listen to me,”

“I don’t have to. You think you know what’s best for him, but you don’t. I am his father, therefore I know exactly what my child does and does not need. And you know what he doesn’t need? People pretending that care when they obviously don’t. All you care about is getting over your regret. You don’t really care about Ben. You care that he reminds you so much of Phil. Of the one thing you couldn’t have with him.”

“ _You’re turning into your father!”_  Clint yelled, out of breath even because of one simple line. 

Tony’s face turned from surprise to guilty to pissed off in a matter of seconds. “Get out.” He stated.

“No. Not until you hear me out.” Clint huffed, not really wanting to back down but not really wanting to get into a needless fight. The team was already shaky to begin with, they didn’t need more tension. “You ignore Ben. I could understand that if you said it was because you’re busy being an Avenger. The world needs you but so does Ben. Think Tony, use that big brain of yours. Think back to the time when your father ignored you for work. Think about all the days you spent alone in that big house of yours. You told us that it wasn’t that bad, but I knew the truth. I might not have been born rich but I know what the lack of a parent does to a child. You’re alive, and you have Ben with you, that should be enough to make you want to spend at least a few minutes with him everyday. Do you honestly want him to look back to his childhood and only see your back? Do you want him to hate you the way you hated your father?”

“It’s different. He’s not lonely like I was. He’s got Pepper, and Happy, and Natasha, Thor, Steve, Bruce, you. He’s not-” Tony was cut off from defending himself.

“We can’t promise that we’ll stay, Tony. Whether we like it or not, we’re not permanent. We can’t replace you. No one ever could. You’re his  _father_. No amount of friends, or aunts and uncles is going to ever replace the warmth of a father. You’re supposed to be the only person that’s going to stick with him whatever happens. You’re his family.”

Clint sighed. “I’m just asking you to try, Tony.” He said before leaving the workshop.

\---

The talk didn’t seem to achieve the desired result until that weekend. 

Clint had asked JARVIS where Ben was when he couldn’t find the child anywhere in the tower. 

“Sir has taken him to the zoo for the day.”

Clint smiled at that bit of information. Ben has been talking nonstop about the petting zoo he’d seen on TV since Wednesday. It’s nice to know that Tony had taken time off of his busy schedule for Ben. 

“Sir also wanted to thank you for talking to him.” JARVIS added.

Clint grinned. “Tell him anytime he needs someone to get his head out of his ass, I’m here.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #tony is an asshole here#kind of
> 
> [Here on tumblr](http://promptmephlint.tumblr.com/post/124165826111/i-think-i-missed-the-entire-season-2-of-icarly)

**Author's Note:**

> [Here on tumblr](http://promptmephlint.tumblr.com/post/115942869841/i-should-really-start-taking-my-diet-seriously)
> 
> #Phil REALLY is Dead in this AU#so he's not coming back


End file.
